Electronic programme guides (EPGs) provide a user interface for the display of television programmes, such as audio and video programmes, to the user. Interactive EPGs allow the user to select programmes for viewing and/or recording. Examples of known EPGs include those provided with the Sky™ and Sky+™ set-top boxes. Aspects of those EPGs are described in WO-A-96/37996, WO-A-99/66721 and WO-A-2009/050489.
EPGs are typically designed for display on a television (TV) screen, and are therefore limited by the resolution of that screen. With the advent of High Definition TV (HDTV), higher resolution EPGs are possible. However, the number of different channels available continues to increase and the user must typically navigate around the EPG, or filter by search criteria, to find a programme of interest.
It is also desirable to include additional information in an EPG, such as programme notes, and to provide additional functionality, such as Push or Pull Video On Demand (VOD), interactive TV content and user configurable options and preferences, all incorporated within the EPG window.
With this increased amount of information for display, there is a need for an intuitive, easy to use means of navigating large quantities of television programming to find desired programmes. A remote control is typically used to navigate around the EPG and select programmes for viewing. Remote controls currently used for television systems typically comprise a handset including directional keys or buttons for navigation through a menu or EPG. With the advent of larger and more complex EPGs, excessive button pressing is required to select the desired programme or option. More recently, remote controls have been introduced with analog direction controls, such as touch pads and motion sensors; examples are disclosed in WO-A-2012/071334 (Hillcrest Laboratories) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,412,110. However, these analog direction controls are not well integrated with the EPG and do not provide intuitive control for the user. For example, the analog direction controls may control the position of a pointer on the display, but the user may find it difficult to control the position of the pointer and to select the required option.